A Michigan who made it his mission to catch and expose sexual predators who prey on young children was recently killed while doing exactly that, according to the Daily Wire.
Robert Wayne Lee, 40, who was known online to his tens of thousands of social media followers as "Boopac Shakur," was shot and killed Friday night during a violent confrontation with an individual he'd accused of being a suspected pedophile.
He would pose online as a 15-year-old girl to entice predators and arrange a meeting only to then confront and expose them on video for their predatory behavior.
According to the police, the fatal incident occurred around 10:30 pm Friday night outside a restaurant in Pontiac, Michigan, when he confronted a pair of teenagers, 17 and 18, and accused them of being pedophiles who sought to engage in sexual activity with the fictitious underage girl.
Lee is alleged to have punched the 18-year-old during the argument that ensued, who then pulled a knife in response while the 17-year-old pulled a gun and opened fire on the older man.
He later died from multiple gunshot wounds after being taken to a nearby hospital, while the two young suspects fled the scene.
USA Today reported that the two teens, who are believed to reside in the Pontiac area, were apprehended without incident by law enforcement Saturday afternoon.
A spokesman for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said the case had been turned over to the local prosecutor's office but it was unclear what charges, if any, would be pressed against them despite the fatal shooting.
That could be the result of a combination of pertinent facts, including that Lee may have initiated the violent confrontation, which would render the shooting an act of self-defense, as well as the ages of the two teens and that it was unknown if they actually did intend to meet with a 15-year-old girl for sexual purposes.
The sheriff's office said in a statement of Lee, "His one-man crusade has led to the arrest and criminal charges being filed against several men," but noted, "He has also mistakenly identified someone as a sexual predator who was not."
It was observed that confronting alleged sexual predators carried with it "the potential for violence" in that the accused "feel trapped and often lash out violently."
"While we certainly understand his desire to hold child predators accountable, many times well-intentioned individuals who engaged in this don’t know the standard of evidence required for convictions and often underestimate the potential for violence," the sheriff added. "When we have arrested predators in such circumstances, they have rammed police cars and exhibited other violent behavior in attempts to escape."
To be sure, while Lee's "vigilante" work to expose sexual predators who prey on children is generally discouraged by law enforcement due to the risks involved, the sheriff's office did acknowledge that Lee had helped bring at least four predators to justice, including a former sheriff's deputy who worked at the county jail.
As for Lee's grieving loved ones, a GoFundMe account was established to help raise money to cover his funeral expenses and provide for the future of his daughter. Lee was praised as a "hometown hero" who had "dedicated his life to protecting the innocence of our children from those with malicious intentions" and was credited with having "successfully exposed 132 predators who sought to harm our community's youth."
